No Longer Just Us
by Preddy's.Girl.Scarlett
Summary: AU. The team's members were never protegees of the Justice League, instead they're criminals who use their gifts to their advantages. But what happens when one job forces them to come together? Will they realize they're no longer on their own? Is it really just them? "Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys."
1. The Beginning: Nightwing, A Hacker

**I should not be starting another story… but I am! :D**

**I had too, don't judge me. :|**

**Anyways, this is an AU… kinda… yes, let's leave it at AU because "sometimes bad guys make the best good guys." ;) **

**Some things will be different, you'll see what I mean eventually but right now… nothing is as it seems.**

**I don't own anything! And yes, I know the name is totally cheesy. And no, I totally wasn't watching Leverage when I started writing this, pfft... okay, maybe a little... **

* * *

The young boy grinned mischievously, eyes covered by dark sunglasses set on the glowing hologram placed before him. As his fingers typed away on his keyboard he couldn't help but let a cackle escape his lips. "Done and done." He spoke to himself, watching as the glowing numbers in front of him all plunged to zero in an instant. "Sorry, Bruce this shouldn't hurt you too bad… maybe."

With a short laugh, he shut the device off and turned back to his home. The raven haired kid swung over the couch's back and landed on soft cushions with a loud sigh.

Life was sweet… to say the least.

Richard Grayson wished he could see the expression on his guardian as soon as he was about to learn that about half of his bank accounts had been cleared out in less than an hour. Actually, the boy was sure he could tap into the cameras located at Wayne Enterprises… but he didn't want to produce any unwanted attention.

He snatched the remote from the armrest, snorting as he turned the television on and began to flip through the channels aimlessly. "Who am I kidding, unwanted attention? Please." There was nothing amusing on – not that anything normal could really amused someone like him. "Cooking show? Boring. MTV? Pfft, right. Legend of Korra? Seen it! Criminal Minds? Oh, _joy_."

The teen did this continuously, naming off everything and quickly switching the channel. He realized that he did in fact have too much time in his hands, as he had already seen most of whatever was on.

Richard was just about to give up when something caught his eyes and caused him to sit up. "Hey, Speedy." He spoke aloud to no one, a grin appearing on his lips as he saw the costume vigilante on the screen. Of course, he was no longer Speedy and went by Red Arrow… Dick liked Speedy better. Only seconds later the camera cut to Green Arrow, who was fighting back to back with Black Canary.

Apparently, the Hall of Justice was under attack – _big shocker_. He rolled his eyes as he noticed just who it was that was attacking.

Poison Ivy.

"Does she never give up?" He asked himself as he relaxed and leaned back against the couch once more. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he jumped up to his feet. "Wait… it's Poison Ivy!" The boy grinned as he turned towards his room and rushed to his closet.

This… it would be fun.

* * *

Red Arrow growled in annoyance as he shot arrow after arrow at the oncoming plants that threatened to surround him. All of them hit their targets and each of them fell to the floor in either heaps of burnt weed or frozen shards containing plant fragments. Oh, how he hated the crazy plant lady…

"Canary, where's our back-up?!" He yelled out towards her and his guardian, twisting around and shooting another arrow as a vine threatened him from behind.

"They're coming!" She snapped back before using her canary cry to rip some of the weeds around her to shreds. Green Arrow was no better off than the ginger; both were quickly running out of arrows.

Roy sighed in before releasing one of his last arrows, letting it land on one of the bigger parts of the huge plant that surrounded them and watching as it exploded before flipping out of the way as another vine tried to grab him by the ankle.

Above, Ivy stood on top of the Hall and as she watched her "baby" created chaos all around. She knew the bat would arrive any second now, and she knew that this time she could take him. The woman paid no attention to the other heroes; they were only a minor nuisance to her.

Roy had no time to look up at her as more and more florae closed in around him. He was down to his last arrow and nothing was getting resolved this way.

Suddenly a loud cackle was heard and Roy recognized it instantly. "Hey, Speedy!" A voice shouted out excitedly.

"Nightwing." The ginger muttered in slight annoyance as he proceeded to fight off the plants with nothing but his bow. Honestly, he was relieved that someone had come – even if it was the annoying brat.

The bird swung above on his grappling hook, releasing bird-a-rangs onto the plant's biggest weak points and letting them all explode with a loud boom. Soon, the only thing left of the creature was scattered all around the Hall. The attacker had no time to react as Nightwing swung towards her and his foot connected with her jaw.

She fell from the building before landing safely on a piece of her destroyed creation.

The raven haired teen jumped down beside the archer, landing gracefully as he looked around. "So… did ya miss me, Speedy?"

"It's Red Arrow." He growled lowly in response before turning to notice that Dinah and Oliver had been knocked off their feet and were barely beginning to recover.

Nightwing gave off a cocky smirk. "Whatever, just te-" He was cut off as his holo-glove gave off a loud beep, forcing him to look down. A sigh escaped his lips as he quickly shut the thing off and looked back up at the archer. "Gotta run, tell Bats I said he's welcome!" With that said, the teen launched himself back into the air before anyone could stop him.

Red Arrow looked after him as he departed, wondering if he should go after him. Finally, the hero decided that he'd let him go this time; seeing as they main enemy had been caught.

Green Arrow looked around in partial disbelief. "What… just happened?"

The ginger turned and began to walk away from the disaster area. "Call Batman and tell him to cancel the back-up. Nightwing came and just saved our butts."

Before either of the adults had time to question him, Roy walked off. Leaving them wondering what exactly had just gone down in those few minutes.

Nightwing? But why would he do that? He wasn't a member of the League or a sidekick.

The teen was an enemy, the boy was a criminal.

* * *

Richard quickly rushed back into his apartment, slipping in through the window unnoticed. He looked down at his glove in frustration as it rang for the hundredth time and walked over to the computer monitors sitting in the room adjoining the living room. "Yes?" He asked as an image of a man appeared on screen, both of them carefully examining each-other.

"You must be Nightwing." The man's voice replied, a hint of amusement lingering in his tone.

The boy had to resist the urge to roll his eyes underneath his mask. "Is it that obvious?" He couldn't help but clearly show his displeasure as he crossed his arms.

"I would have hoped that a boy like you knew a bit more about respect… no matter, I have a job for you, child." The man spoke again, this time making sure to get right down to business.

His expression never once wavered as he replied. "Not interested, Mr…"

"I'm sure you will be after you hear of what I have to offer." The man once again held a tone of amusement in his voice. "And please, call me Slade."

* * *

**So… heh… :3 **

**You guys like? **

**Should I continue? **

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**Should I be asleep right now? Yes, I should be. **

**Review! :D**

**Seriously, if there's anything you don't understand please feel free to ask and I'll answer. **


	2. The Beginning: Kaldur'ahm, A Leader

**HELLUR GUYZ, I AM BACK! DID YA MISS ME?! ANY MORE COOKIES FOR LE AUTHOR?! ;D**

**What, you didn't? AND NO COOKIES?! D; **

**WHY?! ;-;**

**Okay… this writer's a bit sleep deprived… onto le mailbag! :3**

**AzraelLuciferThanatosHades- Will do, thanks for your review! :D**

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**chibi-tastic- You should still do it! :D Imagine my surprise when I realized the Leverage/YJ archive was empty… ;-; Heh, I'm such a geek… :3 But, if you watch Leverage I'm sure you know how the team will begin… ;3**

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**Natura Nature- They are bad… to an extent, not completely. Like, Nightwing only defeated Poison Ivy to get under Baty's skin… :3 **

**mazeygrace18- Hmm, difficult question to answer… I suppose they are the same age as the original team was… and I plan on using the original team, including Zatanna and Raquel. :) **

**Penny Tortoiseshell- Will do! :D But… COOKIEEEEE! *takes the cookie and runs* MINEEEE!**

* * *

A sigh penetrated the silence.

The dark skinned teen rested his head on the soft pillows as he tried to get sleep, not that he'd be successful. His eyes stayed wide open as memories of his past threatened to flood back.

One face in his mind stood out above the others, a girl with short red hair and a beautiful smile.

Tula.

Oh, how he missed her. But he'd turned his back on his people, just as they'd done to him. He could still remember their faces as they learned of his true parentage; he wondered what his looked like.

Horrified.

That was the only word that came to mind when he thought of it. His father was Black Manta, his father had tried to kill the man he served countless times and no matter what anyone said… the knowledge of that brought shame onto him. The people of his kingdom no longer trusted him – many even feared him.

_Him._

Kaldur'ahm was the most trusted of the King's men, the one everyone respected and got along with. Well… next to Garth, that was.

Garth.

The last time he'd seen his best friend he'd asked him to take care of Tula for him, to tell her how much he loved her – while he of course didn't have the courage to say goodbye to her himself.

It broke his heart; knowing that she would probably hate him for leaving like that, without at least giving her an explanation.

But she would eventually figure it out.

They all would.

He knew the King himself did not blame him for who he was, Orin had told him so himself. Even Mera stayed at his side when she found out, and so had Garth and Tula… but that didn't outweigh all of the others.

He could still see it in their faces, still remember how they looked at him in fear after that.

Kaldur'ahm had to get out, he couldn't stand it anymore.

So he'd fled in the middle of the night, he'd left without telling anyone but Garth that he would never return. And the pain… how he had felt when he did that… after months of being on his own; it began to fade, eventually.

Or at least that was what he tried to convince himself.

But the truth.

It was clear to anyone who saw and spoke the atlantean. He missed his home, he missed his love, and he missed his family.

So their images stuck with him everywhere, even as he fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

A loud ring forced him back to consciousness.

Kaldur'ahm immediately sat up as the thing continued to ring and ring. He looked around in a daze; he didn't even have a phone.

He rubbed at his eyes with a yawn as he forced himself to his feet and switched on the lights. Then, while looking around, he noticed the small object lying on the drawer beside the bed. Confusion shined bright in his eyes as he walked over to pick up the cell-phone – fully aware that the thing had not been there when he had first arrived in the small motel. "Hello?"

"I do hope I wasn't interrupting anything, Kaldur'ahm." A feminine voice purred softly.

The atlantean's eye widened slightly. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?" He demanded rather harshly.

"I'm the woman who wants to help you, Kaldur." A soft chuckle could he heard through the phone. "I know all about your father, and I know you want answers that your little King wasn't prepared to give." He could hardly believe his ears. This woman knew? Who else besides his kingdom had this kind of knowledge?

He clutched the phone tightly, taking a few moments to make his decision before speaking again. "I am not interested."

A louder laugh escaped her lips this time, one that delivered even more doubt then he already had. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that, sweetheart?"

He shut his eyes, turning and looking out of the room's window. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Patience." The atlantean could hear the smirk in her voice. "As for who I am… that will remain anonymous for now. What I want? Well… that's going to be a little harder to explain."

"I am listening." He replied, sounding more demanding than before. Whoever this woman was, she would only give him more trouble; especially if she knew his father. But… if she had answers, he was willing to listen for now.

"Good." There was a moment of silence through the line before she decided to speak once more. "I have a job for you, Kaldur'ahm. Something simple but… I am willing to give you any information you desire in exchange for this… favor."

"What… _kind _of favor do you speak of?" He asked hesitantly, his doubt screaming at him to hang up the phone and get out of there now.

This time her voice held more sincerity in it; making him wonder what exactly it was that she planned. "I need you to retrieve something for me, something that means a lot to me." The teen didn't reply, waiting for her to continue. "In exactly five hours, you will receive another phone call on this line telling you exactly what it is you need to retrieve and how you will do it. Once you have completed this task you will call this number again and you will be told where to meet with me, there is where I will answer any questions you have."

After a few moments he sighed. "Why me?"

"I needed someone like you, Kaldur'ahm. Someone with your… set of skills." A chuckle was heard once more. "Do not fail me, I don't take kindly to disappointment. And…" She added, her voice holding a dark threat. "Do not try to run for I will find you, goodbye."

He didn't have a chance to speak up as she hung up, leaving him once again in the silence. He dropped the phone back where it was and looked around the room in silence. There was no way he could sleep now.

With a sigh, he opened the door and exited the room. He'd spotted a swimming pool upon entering the motel and right now… he could go for a swim.

* * *

**I have to be honest with you guys… I totally screwed with Kaldur's life and history and… I REGRET NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA, YES! **

**So… I know most of you probably won't know where this is going butttttt if you watch Leverage, or at least the first episode I'm sure it might help clear up a bit of confusion. ^.^**

**BTW, Kaldur is like the Nathan in the group and Dick is kinda like Hardison except sexier… I mean wut? Hehe… *innocent face* ;)**

**GIMME AS MANY REVIEWS AS BEFORE AND I'LL UPDATE THIS ASAP! XD (No joke, the next chappie's ready to go...)**

**Oh, don't forget the cookies! Keep those coming too, guys! ;3**


	3. The Beginning: Conner Kent, A Hitter

**Well, this is a bit late… isn't it? Heh, my bad… .-.**

**Wolf skater- o_o I… *runs***

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**Jazbez- "Bolt? Inertia? Blitz? Baywatch, the Bane of Restaurants?" Oh my god, all of my yes! :D J'onn… grrr! MY COOKIES! *grabs a flamethrower and uses it to hold J'onn from the cookies* MIINNNNEEE! *runs away with the plate***

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**Guest- Thank you! xD**

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**I don't own Young Justice or Leverage, they all belong to… whoever they belong to…**

* * *

"Conner?"

The boy looked up as he heard his name. In front of him stood a beautiful redhead girl, smiling brightly as she saw that it was him. "Oh, hey M'gann."

Her smile faltered a bit as she took the seat opposite of him. "It's Megan in public… what are you doing here?"

He shrugged and glanced around, of course she was surprised to see him; coffee shops weren't exactly his thing. Plus the fact that they hadn't exactly been on speaking terms for a while… "I have a… appointment later on."

"Oh." Her smile completely disappeared as she realized what he was talking about. "I thought you were done with that."

He arched an eyebrow as his eyes met hers. "Like you are?" He remembered when he'd told her that, it had been five months ago.

"I-" She began, only to fall silent again as she looked down at the table in embarrassment. "You're right, sorry. I just… I meant that… nevermind."

He couldn't help but reach across the table and grasp her hand in his, offering her a small smile. "It's fine. So… you were shopping, I'm guessing?" He didn't need to ask, the bags surrounding the table were proof enough.

She bit her lip. "Yep, I had some spare time on my hands after I…" Her eyes went wide as she realized what she was about to say, facepalming. "Hello Megan, you don't want to know about any of that!"

His blue eyes sparkled in amusement. "Still with the catchphrase? And you're right… I don't think I want to know."

They both fell silent afterwards, the young boy sipping from his coffee as he scanned her with an unreadable expression. She didn't look back up. "It's been a while…"

"I know."

A sigh escaped her lips and her shoulders slumped. "I'm so sorry, I never mea-"

"It's fine, M'gann. Besides, I think I should be the one apologizing." She looked back up at him with hopeful eyes, eyes that he missed terribly.

"So, friends again?" She asked softly.

He nodded slightly. "Always."

A grin broke out on her face and she jumped up and embraced him in a tight hug. "Oh, how I've missed you Kon!"

"I've missed you too, M'gann." He replied as his arms wrapped tightly around her – thought not tight enough to kill her. Again, he had to watch the strength; he didn't want to end up hurting his precious martian.

"So, what brings you to Dakota?" She pulled away, sitting back down. "It's not exactly your territory, you know?"

A shrug was the only answer he had to offer. Even he didn't know what he was doing there. "Someone told me to come here, I didn't really bother to ask. And you? I thought you were sticking to Happy Harbor."

"I thought it was time for a vacation…"

He gave her a skeptic glance, crossing his arms over his chest. "A… vacation from a vacation?"

The girl bit her lip nervously, once again refusing to look up and answer. He sighed as realization dawned onto him.

"M'gann…"

"It's Megan." She hissed underbreath, resting her head on her palm.

"You need to stop this." He whispered, low enough for only her to hear. "Someone is going to catch you eventually."

"Have you that little faith in me?" She replied, glancing back up at him.

"I-" He was cut off by the sound of a cell phone beeping. "Hold on." He turned away, placing the device to his ear.

"Exit the shop at once." A voice ordered. "To your right there will be a rundown apartment, go in. I'll be waiting."

He turned back and put the phone away. "I have to… go." Confusion clouded his eyes as he looked around and realized the girl was nowhere to be seen, on the table was a small scrap of paper. Conner reluctantly picked it up.

_I'll be around, call me sometime._

On the back of the card was her number. "M'gann…" He muttered softly, placing the paper in his pocket and turning away.

Just as he'd been told, a tall rundown building stood in front of him. Reluctantly, he entered through the broken down door.

The only sound was that of his heavy footsteps and he wondered if there was anyone there. Just as he was about to give up and walk out, he was thrown off his feet by a heavy force slamming into him. The clone growled, shoving whatever it was off of himself and standing up again.

A loud growl escaped the giant gorilla's mouth as it readied another attack. He was ready for the beast this time though, and managed not to get knocked back again. Grabbing the ape by the arms and throwing him onto the wall, the boy yelled in frustration. "I hate monkeys!"

"Monsieur Mallah is hardly a monkey." A robotic voice interrupted.

Conner quickly spun around, only to meet with the Brain. "I'm guessing you called me here." He snapped angrily.

"That is correct." The thing wheeled closer to him as the gorilla stood up and walked back over to them, glaring threateningly at the boy.

"Well?" The boy crossed his arms and waited impatiently.

"I know about you, Project Kr. And… I know your _father _will be delighted to hear that you have been found."

Conner clenched his fists. "If you tell him anything-"

A robotic chuckle escaped the thing. "Calm down, I assure you. Mr. Luthor doesn't have to know… of course, there is a price for this secrecy."

"What kind?" He demanded angrily, his eyes narrowed at the Brain.

"I need your help, Mr. Kent. I must retrieve something that has been stolen from me and you are the only one who can help me get it."

* * *

**Okay, you know the drill people! Review, favorite, put it on alert and give me cookies! :D**

**Wally's chapter's coming up next, then Arty's… :3**

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	4. The Beginning: Wally West, A Speedster

**Hey guyz! :3 **

**I don't really have enough time for the mailbag right now so I'll do it next chapter but… here's a new chapter! ^_^**

**Young Justice is not mine. **

* * *

"Come on." The teen boy muttered. "Come on, West. You can do this, just a couple more minutes."

Fifteen year old Wally West paced the floors of his bedroom, waiting for something that would soon come. He wondered why it was taking so long; of course his uncle took forever, but his aunt was never late.

A frustrated growl escaped his lips before he heard a car arriving and looked out the window to see his aunt and uncle exiting the vehicle. "Yes!" He cheered as he ran out his room and to the door.

As they opened the door they were greeted by the redhead teen who rushed past them. "Wally?"

"I'll be back later!" He called back to them before disappearing form their sight.

Once he was sure they could no longer see him, he took off at incredible speeds – never once stopping. He really hated keeping the truth from them sometimes, but what else can you do when your uncle is _the _Flash?

Besides, it wasn't like he did anything bad with his powers. He just enjoyed having fun, wasn't that what all teenagers did? Given… not all teens were as fast as he was, but that hardly mattered.

"Whatever." He muttered before stopping to change his outfit and afterwards coming to a halt in front of the town's main square. His eyes set on the two figures egging the Flash's statue.

One of the two turned to him, a grin on the boy's lips. "Yo, Flashy!"

"Blitz." He walked up to both of them, arms crossed. "How many times do I have to remind you that, Trickster?"

"But…" The boy known as Trickster whined, pointing at the statue. "You're starting to sound like him!"

A scoff escaped from the junior speedster's lips as he pressed his hands to his heart. "If you wanted to hurt my feelings, good job."

"Stop being a drama queen, Wally." The other figure replied, pulling out a roll of toilet paper. "Now, are you going to help or not?"

He rolled his eyes but took the roll nonetheless. "Whatever, _Piper_." As soon as the words left his mouth he turned away, speeding at unspeakable levels around the statue until the whole thing was covered in toilet paper. Once he stopped, he looked up at his work with a huge grin on his features. "Perfection, don't you think?"

"I don't know…" Trickster held up a can of spray paint towards each of the other teens. "It could be improved."

Both of them grabbed their cans, smirking. "I like the way you think, James." Wally replied before the three of them set to work once again.

All of them wrote something different, consisting of _"Blitz waz here" _courtesy of Trickster,_ "Flasher sucks" _from Pied Piper,and _"Go Rogues" _written by Wally – to which Piper snorted and raised an eyebrow in question. "You're not even a Rouge, Wall-man. Keep declining to accept the offer, remember?"

"I know." The redhead replied with a grin. "But you guys do rock, don't you?"

A gasp came from Trickster's lips as he ran over to them. "I got an idea!"

"Oh no…" Wally began, only to be smacked upside the head by Piper.

"What is it, James?" The boy asked curiously.

"We should go rob a bank!" The teen replied excitedly. "Blitz's never come with us during a heist before!"

"No thanks, Trick. I don't do heists." He looked around. "Besides… we should probably split before you-know-who realizes what we're doing to his monument."

"Vldemort?!" James asked with hopeful eyes.

The speedster couldn't help but facepalm. "No! I meant Flash!" Wally sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Seriously, we should go."

"The night is still young." Piper crossed his arms before realization dawned on his face. "Oh, Cold said to give you this." He pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to the speedster. "Said you'd need it or somethin' like that, I don't remember… Just thought I'd give it to you before either of us forgot it or anything…"

He reluctantly took the slip, looking at the numbers on it oddly. "Okay… what do I do with it..?"

"Call it of course!" James replied, jumping in front of the speedster and grinning widely. "What else do you do with a number like that? Maybe we can prank call it, yeah we should! Let's go find a phone, huh? Can we?"

"James, lay off on the sugar." Wally replied before slipping the paper into his pocket. "And I really have to go, can't be late for dinner."

"Tell your folks you're staying at a friend's house!" Piper complained, pouting slightly so the boy could see. Trickster followed suit and joined him.

"Please?"

"Guys, you know I ca-" He was cut off by the sound of someone approaching at super-speed. "Gotta run, don't let him catch you again!" And with that he was off, only faintly hearing the goodbyes of his friends as he ran back to change before heading to his home once more.

As he looked up, he realized just how much time he'd spent out; the sun had already begun to go down. Sighing, the boy entered the house slowly before walking over to the kitchen where he was sure his aunt was cooking. "Hey, Wally." She greeted with her back to him, looking over the stove.

"Hey, Aunt Iris." He replied, walking over to the fridge and pulling out an apple. "What's to eat?"

"You'll see." She smiled, glancing over at him. "Barry ran out not even ten minutes ago, he should be back soon."

"Okay." The redhead forced himself to sound less snarky than usual, reminding himself that he had nothing against Iris herself. "I'll be in my room till then."

"Alright, I'll call you down when it's done."

He didn't reply as he made his way up the stairs and to his room, plopping down on the bed while simultaneously pulling out the scrap of paper in his pocket. "I wonder…" He muttered to himself.

Was he really prepared to go deeper into this? Vandalizing the city with Trickster and Pied Piper was one thing but… Cold was a complete different story. Then again, if this was Captain Cold then it was definitely something that could end up hurting his uncle… or it could be something fun. In a split second decision he sat up and reached out for the phone.

If they wanted him to call the number, then he'd definitely be sure to call.

And he'd figure out what exactly it was that was going on.

* * *

**I'm hungry… cookies anybody? :3 And if memory serves me right... Artemis is next... OH YES! XD You people are going to love it, I think it's going to be the best chapter so far... so review and I'll post it as soon as possible. :3**

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	5. The Beginning: Artemis Crock, A Thief

**How long was I gone this time? o.o**

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* * *

Strong arms wrapped around the girl's thin frame, she quickly elbowed whoever stood behind her in the chest and turned to deliver a blow to their face. The guard quickly fell to the ground, not unconscious but momentarily in a daze.

The blonde took this opportunity to make a run for it, only stopping to grab what she'd came for before sprinting towards her exit. She came to a halt as she realized more guards were coming and looked around with wide eyes. "Crap." She muttered under her breath, turning and making her way up the stairs.

Five floors later, she found herself on the roof and with only one way out. Her eyes went down to the harness on her chest before turning back to the double doors leading back inside, the sounds of the guards approaching becoming louder with every second wasted.

Her hands moved to her duffel bag and she immediately found the rope, unwinding it and wrapping it around the door's handles. The steel doors would hold her weight… she hoped. As she heard banging on the doors she jumped back, securing the rope to her harness before taking a deep breath and jumping off of the building.

Fifteen floors.

Lucky for her, she was able to stop herself before she could become nothing more than a stain in the pavement and landed safely on her feet. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, at the same time using her hands to unclasp herself from the rope and make a run for it.

She grinned as her ride stopped beside her and she quickly jumped into the van as they drove off. "Got it?" Another girl's voice asked from behind the wheel.

Artemis Crock nodded, taking a moment to regain her breath. "You… doubted me… Rose?"

The girl shook her head, gripping the steering wheel tighter as Artemis walked over and took the passenger seat. "What took you so long?"

"The fact that our definitions of a couple guards aren't even on the same level, there were more than twenty to be exact." She held up their prize, a disk containing valuable information that the girls both knew would be worth a lot of money.

The white haired girl glanced over at the disk with a smirk before turning back to the road. "It seems that didn't stop you… did they see your face?"

"No, I got rid of all the cameras before I went in." The blonde looked out the window, putting the disk back where it went. "When do you think you can get the money?"

A sigh escaped Rose's lips. "Tonight. You won't believe who the buyer is…"

The girl's tone caught Artemis off guard, she turned to look over at the driver. "Who?"

"Deathstroke the Terminator aka… my father." She rolled her eyes but refused to look back at the blonde. "Turns out daddy dearest is the highest bidder… everything's set, we just need to deliver the disk to him."

"Wait, tonight?"

Rose nodded in response, an unreadable expression on her face. "Yes, and you're coming along for the drop."

Confusion clouded her face. "What, why? You always deliver on your own."

"Boss's orders." The other girl muttered. "Apparently, you have another job… one without me."

Artemis looked at her in disbelief, eyes wide. "With Deathstroke? No, no way. I've heard stories about him and his kind, I'm not going near him."

A humorless snort escaped the other girl. "His kind?" She arched an eyebrow, waiting for the other girl's explanation. "You do realize I'm his daughter, right?"

The blonde realized her mistake. "I don't mean it like that, I mea-"

"What? Mercenaries?" The other girl demanded, a hint of anger on her tone as she sped up increasingly.

"No!" Artemis snapped. "Rose, slow down!"

"Why?!" Said girl hissed, facing the girl beside her.

An angry growl escaped Artemis's lips. "Because, we're going to get caught if you don't listen; then neither of us will make it to the delivery!"

Seeing reason, the other girl did as told and decreased their speed until they were back at the limit. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing." Artemis muttered, turning back to the window. "I have nothing against you, it's just your dad is…"

"Powerful?" Rose offered helpfully. "Cunning? Manipulative? Resourceful? _Evil?_"

The blonde resisted the urge to snort. "I was going to say creepy but those work too."

"Right…" Rose smirked widely. "My bad."

A comforting silence eventually took over as they continued on their drive. Artemis turned away from the window when a pair of headlights blinded her vision and she took the chance to study her friend.

The girl's straight, pale white hair fell onto her shoulders; a glint in her eyes that Artemis knew too well – something was obviously troubling Rose. So much time spent helping her out on their plans, Artemis could read the girl like a book. "I know I've never told you this but… you're my best friend, Rose. Thanks for everything."

"What's this? The Crock girl is going soft on me at a time like this?" Rose flashed a wide grin in her direction, one that if shown to someone else would have reassured them that she was fine… but not her; Artemis could see the doubt lingering underneath.

"A time like this?" She waited for the other girl to elaborate – she didn't. "What do you mean by that?" She asked again.

The girl's smile faded and she sighed in defeat. "I know you can take care of yourself, Crock. But if my dad asks you to do something that is beyond even your limits… I want you to get out of there, run as fast as you can. He doesn't take kindly to failure, or disappointment."

"How reassuring." The girl replied sarcastically, crossing her arms. "I've never ran from a challenge."

A chuckle escaped Rose's lips as her hand slightly turned the steering wheel. "I said that once too… before I met my father, that is. Just… just promise me you'll be careful?" Nothing could really hide the hind of worry in the girl's voice.

Artemis nodded as the van came to a halt, opening the door slightly. "Don't tell me you've gone soft on me." She teased before a small smile replaced her teasing smirk. "I promise, okay?"

The other teen rolled her eyes, quickly hopping out of the car to meet her father. "Can it, Crock."

"As you wish, Wilson."

* * *

**So... how did you like it? e_e**

**I had fun writing it, even though halfway through I got writer's block... whatever! ;3 **

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	6. The Meeting

**I hath returned with le new chapter. :D**

**Wolf skater- Thanks! :D**

**Dextra2- :)**

**Guest- Yay, thank you! :3 Yeah, I just couldn't picture them as bad guys. I mean, Wally? A bad guy? Pfft, nah. :P**

**Poseidon'sdaughter3- I know, I just had to add Rose. And… maybe, we'll see if she is Ravager. ;) Zatanna's actually not coming in until like three more chapters… but when she does, it'll be epic. :3**

**iSniffMarkers- MAH COOKIES D; WHY?! LEX, DON'T EAT MY COOKIES!**

**A2ID- Cookie? O:**

**jake111- I actually haven't decided on the pairings yet… I'm a Spitfire **_**and **_**Traught shipper so… yeah. :I**

**I don't own Young Justice or Leverage or anyone/anything else I use in this story. e_e Now go read. Go on, gooooo…**

* * *

"I don't like this."

A scoff quickly followed after her words. "Join the club."

The blonde couldn't help but give the raven haired boy that sat across from her a smirk. "Where's the sign in sheet?"

He didn't reply, only sparing a small smirk for her as a third figure approached the table and sat down beside the boy. "Conner Kent." The words sounded less like a question and more like a statement to her ears. The only sound they got out of him was a grunt followed by a short nod.

"What the hell?" The girl asked, turning back to the young creeper she'd already been sitting with. "Do you know who we all are?"

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Maybe, I just recognized both of your faces fro… nevermind." Before they could get more out of him, he slipped away from his seat and began to walk away. "I'm going to get something to drink." He muttered, barely audible as he did so.

"Great." She growled softy, crossing her arms and sinking lower into her chair as silence overtook the two remaining teens. They remained like that as minutes wore by and she had to resist the urge to check the time on her watch every five seconds.

And finally, one more person arrived. Her eyes remained on the teen as he not so casually but actually rather calmly strolled into the restaurant, an uneasy look on his face. It wasn't hard to tell why he was there, considering they were the only ones currently residing in the building (minus the owner, that was, who had apparently rented out the place for the day to whoever they were now working for.)

No one spoke as he pulled up a chair and sat in between them, silently observing them. The girl did the same to him, sizing him down in case he was there to pick a fight. Truthfully, he seemed like someone who wouldn't go out without a fight and the odd tattoos on his arms only proved her theory further. "How much are they paying you two?" She spoke up, glancing at them both in mild curiosity.

"I'm not in it for the money." The other boy – Conner – muttered as his only reply, still opting to remain silent.

She rolled her eyes but looked over at the new arrival. "You?"

"I will not be receiving my payment in currency." He spoke with an edge, not taking his eyes off of her. He made her feel like she was dirty, and truthfully; right now she did feel like it, this guy... whoever he was… he was making her completely and utterly uneasy.

She arched an eyebrow in curiosity and hid any other feelings from her expression, glancing at them both with equal disbelief. "Not in it for the money? You guys have got to be _joking_!"

"I do not joke." The dark skinned teen replied with the same tone of voice, unfazed by her attitude.

The other boy's shoulder stiffened and he scowled at her. "Not everyone cares about the money."

She didn't reply, completely at a loss of words. Not everyone cares about the money? _Everyone _cares about the money! There were two things that mattered in the world, power and money. If you had one, you were well off. Having the both… well, that just made you a god.

"Hey, you'll never guess who I… oh." The young boy stopped in his tracks as he noticed the new arrival. His eyes lingered on the atlantean, a mixture of shock and disappointment setting on his features. But none of them paid attention to him as they say the guy who currently had the young boy's arm around his neck.

The freckle-faced teenager gave an awkward wave. "Um, hey…"

"Who's he?" The girl asked, instantly curious once more.

The raven haired boy snapped out of his daze, a grin setting on his lips as he sat down and pulled a chair out for the other boy to sit down beside him. "Our last teammate!"

"I suppose introductions are in order." The tattooed teen spoke up, glancing around the table in what Artemis could only assume was internal doubt. "I am Kaldur'ahm."

The girl was the next to speak up, her hand brushing a lone strand of blonde hair from her face. "Call me Artemis."

"Conner." The other dark haired teen spoke.

The youngest smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair. "Nightwing or Wing because... I don't know any of you all well enough to be on a first name basis."

"_Hurtful_ but true." The last kid added, punching _Wing_ in the arm lightly. "I'm Blitz."

"Blitz, huh?" Artemis couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips. "I take it you're fast."

Wally glared at her. "Artemis? I take it you're an archer." She opened her mouth to snap at him, but shut up as she realized that yes – she was an archer. "I was right?" He asked in amusement.

"Shut it." She muttered, looking away as her cheeks began to tint a light crimson. "Let's just get to the point of this whole thing, okay? I don't want to spend any more time with you people then necessary."

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I see." The speedster grinned at her.

"You should hold that tongue of yours if you want to keep it!" She stood from her seat, reaching forward and attempting to claw at his neck in anger.

"Artemis!" Luckily, it was Kaldur'ahm who intervened and grabbed her by the waist before any damage could be inflicted upon the speedster. "We all need to get along for the time being, understood?"

The young bird nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we need everyone alive for this thing."

"Alive doesn't mean unharmed." Conner pointed out with an emotionless tone, but whether he showed it or not; Artemis could tell that he was already enjoying their bantering… she just hoped this wouldn't turn out as bad as then arguments with Rose usually did.

Wing crossed his arms, his deadly expression telling Blitz not to say another word or there would be hell to pay. The redhead nervously complied, knowing fully well how serious the younger boy was being. Yes, he wasn't embarrassed to admit that the little brat completely and utterly scared him. "If you two don't calm down, you're going to have to explain to someone exactly why it is this _mission _didn't go down!"

That shut Artemis up instantly; no was she going to tell Deathstroke the Terminator that she had failed one simple little task, the one simple little task that he'd instructed her with.

"Okay, fine." Wally sighed in defeat, glancing around at all of them with a curious expression. "Where do we go from here, literally? I'm sure we can't just stay here."

Kaldur nodded in agreement, releasing Artemis from his firm grip that held her in place when he was sure that the second he released her she wasn't just going to make a grab for the speedster's throat again. "But where do we go?"

Conner shrugged, not saying anything; it wasn't like they expected any bright ideas from him anyways. They all figured he was a man of few words.

"I know just the place."

They all turned to Wing and waited for him to elaborate on where this place was, surely it was easy to find in the city. Wasn't everything in this place?

He grinned from ear to ear, giving a mock bow and motioning for them to follow him out of the shop. "Follow me, my comrades."

Artemis rolled her eyes and was the first to walk out of the door, walking past Wing with an amused smirk. "Show the way, Kid Wing."

"Kid's Wally, not me." He replied as the rest of them followed suit, not turning to see the red head speedster's warning glare. The last words any of them spoke before exiting the shop were said by the confused archer.

"Who's Wally?"

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	7. The Meeting: A New HQ

**Dextra2- Oh yess… my sexy clone will be in this! :D I mean… what? Clone, pfft. Nah, no clones… ;3**

**Wolf skater- *sigh* Okay… ;-;**

**Flying Jay- Now, there's something I would watch ;D**

**Poseidon'sdaughter3- Nooooo! MY COOKIES! DX**

**lilo202- I know it's a little confusing right now, but everything will be explained soon. And yes, no one forgets about our little bird's martial art skills! :)**

**jake111- I enjoy making Artemis Parker. :3**

**I don't own anything…**

* * *

"No fucking way." She choked out in amazement, her eyes darting to everything in the huge cave; their new hideout. Artemis turned back to Nightwing, calling her flabbergasted would be an understatement. "Is this place yours?!"

He shook his head but showed them a mischievous grin, something that made her admiration turn into alarm. "Nah."

"Then?" Conner asked – or demanded – a bit impatiently. He was standing a few paces behind Artemis; the tattooed boy who they all now identified as an atlantean was alongside the kryponian, an impassive appearance overtaking his face.

The raven haired boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as they all stared at him; waiting for his answer. Finally, he gave them the answer none of them wanted to hear. "It's the Justice League's old hide-out."

"What?!"

"I'm out of here."

"No way."

"This is not what I signed up for."

They all gave mixed reactions. Artemis turned to outrage, her eyes narrowing dangerously at the young boy. "Are you _stupid_?!"

Kaldur'ahm on the other hand was calm and composed; when he spoke he didn't yell or snap at Nightwing. "Is it safe to be here?" As he spoke, he placed a hand on Conner's shoulder; keeping him from going anywhere or trying to walk off to the exit.

The young acrobat nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm not an idiot. I made sure that they'd abandoned it first."

"Dude, they have zeta-tubes, remember?!" The red headed speedster growled in response, flailing his arms wildly in the direction of said transportation devices.

"… what?" The blonde archer immediately turned towards Blitz, a hand on her hip as suspicion overtook her posture and she stiffened – suddenly even more alert then before. "Zeta-tubes?"

He shrugged in response, glancing back at her. "Yeah, they're what they use to go from place to place. They have them in every city and what not."

Artemis arched an eyebrow in response. "And exactly how do you know this when none of us know about them?"

"I knew about them." Nightwing mumbled under breath, looking down at the ground awkwardly. If there was one thing he could tell about the situation, it was that Artemis was about to release a shit-storm onto both he and Wally… Blitz, whatever they were going to call him.

"How can you not know about them?" Was the redhead's snarky remark. "You'd have to be a complete moron to have never seen them in use… oops, sorry." He feigned apprehension, his eyes on the other hand showed exactly how he felt.

He didn't like the archer, of course he didn't like her. She was… annoying, to say the least. Did she even _trust _anyone? _Could she_? What was stopping her from stabbing them all in the back with one of her arrows?

After all, she was just in it for the money.

"The only moron in this room is standing _right in front of me._" She snapped, taking a couple slow, deliberate steps closer to the speedster so they were now practically in each-other's faces.

Blitz sneered in anger. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was a mirror in front of me." He didn't care if his retorts made no sense at this point, right now he just wanted to make the other girl feel bad. He wanted her to know exactly just how much of an annoyance she was to him. He didn't want to work with her, and if this didn't make it obvious then he wouldn't know what would.

"Artemis…" Kaldur spoke up in a warning tone and it almost made the archer listen to him… almost.

"You better watch your back, _Blitz." _She was glaring now, her gaze warning the speedster that his future would not end as a pretty one if he kept this recently created rivalry against her would end with her as the winner.

A scoff escaped his lips and his eyes narrowed. "I'd worry about my own back, _Arty_."

That was it; the last straw.

Before any of them could process what had just changed in the girl's manner, her fist connected with his jaw and he was on the ground being pounded on by the infuriated blonde.

Wally could have fought back – and in the future, when he retold the tale of the day he met that annoying archer with a temper, he'd say that he had fought back and gained the upper hand before they were pulled apart— but the archer had pinned his hands underneath her knees when she'd thrown herself on him and had made sure he couldn't move.

Kaldur'ahm was the first to react and immediately went over to haul Artemis off of the speedster. When he did so, she fought back and tried to pry the atlantean's strong arms from her waist but it was no use; of course he was stronger than her by a longshot. "Artemis, calm down." He ordered sternly, the words weren't yelled at her and she was sure that if they had been maybe she wouldn't have listened.

But she did, eventually. The archer slowly calmed down and stopped struggling against her new teammate's grip. Kaldur'ahm's hold reluctantly began to loosen so he was barely grabbing onto her waist at all, but he didn't dare let go. He knew that another word from the speedster could most likely set her off again.

Blitz, on the other hand, was helped up by Nightwing and Conner. Once he was on his feet again, he gently caressed his jaw with one hand and held back the urge to glare at Artemis. "Ow." He mumbled under breath, knowing fully well that there would be a bruise there soon enough.

"Can you two please get a long for just five minutes?" Nightwing asked, his tone holding as much irritation as his mask allowed to be shown.

"She's the one that attacked me." Blitz replied angrily but his defeat was quite obvious, he wasn't going to argue with her anymore; at least not for the rest of the day.

Artemis didn't reply, she only stood there silently. Kaldur had finally let go of her, the only thing that would stop her from attacking now being his hand on her shoulder. She crossed her arms, knowing that they all expected her to give an explanation as to why she attacked out of the blue. Yeah, they were arguing but they all thought that it wouldn't go any further.

Honestly?

She knew exactly why she'd attacked him and she regretted that she'd let it get to her like that. Of course, she didn't show any regret as she faced them all. As a matter of fact, she didn't show anything in her expression. Emotionless as she stood, trying to think of a good lie for them.

But it was him.

The reason she'd attacked, the one thing that had gotten to her. It was her father.

Artemis.

_Arty._

That was exactly it, the stupid nickname that her father had given her. The one thing that left his mouth every time he mocked her; every time her training had turned for the worst and she managed to screw everything up, it wasn't Artemis.

They way he'd said it, the way the speedster repeated that one word; that one stupid name that she couldn't just forget about. Not like she could forget anything else of her past.

But it was _that. _God, why was she thinking about this now? Of all the times in the world, why now?

"… _Artemis?" _

She snapped out of her thoughts and glanced back at Nightwing. "What..?"

He arched an eyebrow in slight amusement, realizing that she'd been spaced off; that she'd been to wrapped up in her own thoughts to pay any attention. "I asked if you were ready to help plan this thing."

"Oh." She ran a hand through her long hair, letting out a soft sigh. "Yeah."

Kaldur'ahm let his hand fall of her shoulder. "Then let us get to it. The sooner we are through with this, the sooner we can all get what we want." Everyone nodded in agreement and they turned to walk into another section of the cave.

Artemis was the last one to follow.

Yes, right now she needed to get what she wanted. And for some strange reason, the only thing she wanted right now was to get away from these strangers.

* * *

The archer's mouth fell open as she looked as the screen before her, not believing the words that had just been spoken to her. "Wait, what?"

Nightwing glanced at her, his scowl indicating that he wasn't amused with her at the moment. "Artemis, I'm not going to repeat myself for the _fifth time." _He growled in slight annoyance.

"Sorry." She muttered, standing from her spot and walking up to the screen to inspect the schematics more carefully. "This place has three times more guards then the last heist I pulled and five times more security. Whatever your plan is, it better be a damn good one."

Kaldur'ahm had a calculating look on his face as he sat beside the speedster, who on the other hand paid no mind to any of them, he was still checking for damage that had might have been brought by the archer. There was none, of course. But it didn't hurt to make sure.

"Don't worry, I know how to get us in." Nightwing gave them all a smile, not that it made Artemis any less worried.

So the plan was that Artemis and Nightwing would go in first, as the ones with the most experienced in stealth mission they were the only ones actually equipped to do so. After the coast was clear Blitz and Kaldur'ahm would follow behind and watch the acrobat and archer's backs as they broke in to get what it was that they were supposed to retrieve. They were both the muscle, the extra pair of eyes that were necessary just in case someone got the drop on them.

And that left nothing for Conner, right? Wrong – as Nightwing smugly pointed out when the speedster complained that it wasn't fair to the rest of them.

It wasn't that Conner had no part in this mission; his task was just completely different from theirs. He was going to go inside as one of the security guards that guarded the floor with the objective, Nightwing had provided the kryptonian boy with a fake identity and the things he needed to pass off as one of them. All he had to do was make sure that no one spotted them, and if they were spotted he was to make sure the teens could get away safely. In other words, he was their failsafe.

Conner wasn't exactly too happy with this arrangement but then again, it's not like they knew if he could even be happy with anything. So, none of them gave if much thought as they proceeded with the planning.

"Everyone knows what to do, correct?" Kaldur'ahm asked around, glancing at each one of them individually.

And there it was, the reason he had been also appointed to this one task. He was their leader; the only one qualified to be. Even though they didn't know it, they could all feel that he himself was an honest soul. He wouldn't betray them; it was against his code of morality.

So they all nodded in agreement and said nothing. They had a plan now and all that needed to happen was to put that plan in action.

What could go wrong?

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	8. A Change In Scenery: The Sidekicks

**Gah, my head is killing me. Dx**

**But here's the next chapter, enjoy. I don't own Young Justice or any of the characters used in this story and/or chapter.**

**Oh, and can I just say... MUAHAHAHAHA! ;D**

* * *

"Don't move."

When the words left his mouth both girls froze. They looked at each other alarmed by the sudden command delivered by the redhead.

Finally, it was the raven haired girl who spoke up. "What is it?" She quickly asked, expecting some horrible answer.

He simply pointed at the ground and crouched down to inspect the soil. As he ran a hand through it the two girls complained loudly.

"You made us stop for some dirt?!" The dark skinned girl demanded angrily.

"The trail goes cold from here." He explained in a gruff voice, annoyance lacing his tone.

"That's impossible." The magician muttered softly to herself, glancing around for an unfound explanation. The other girl just stood immobile, her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for them to reach the conclusion she'd already come to.

Their ran from the location as the ground beneath them began to shake and the redhead glanced over at the magician girl. "Zatanna!"

She raised her hands to the air, speaking words that neither of them understood. _"Dleihs su morf lla seye!"_

They immediately went for cover, hiding behind the trees that surrounded them. The darkness would work in their favor. Just as they finished concealing themselves, something from below rose up and the ground they had stood on only seconds earlier was replaced by a metal pathway connecting to something much deeper below.

Before they could process it all, the dark skinned girl flew up and went after the people that were exiting out the tunnel. She trapped a couple of them in inertia-less bubbles and successfully knocked them out before flying down to the ground. The redhead shot an arrow past her and took out one of the others while the magician girl spoke up. _"Dinb meht lla!"_

They watched as the remaining men were suddenly on the ground, ropes tightly holding them in place. "Good job, Zatanna." The other girl commented, placing her hands on her hips.

Zatanna smiled at her. "Thanks, Rocket."

"The job's not over, keep moving." The redhead archer snapped as he rushed into the tunnel and the two girls glanced at each other quickly before following. They were surprised that the tunnel wasn't at all dark; lights hanging on both walls illuminated the enclosed space bellow the earth.

Rocket looked around with a frown but said nothing as they continued down the path. She glanced at Zatanna who seemed to not be paying attention at the walls and instead looked ahead – just like Red Arrow, she seemed focused on the mission. Raquel stopped in her tracks as a creaking sound made its way to her ears. "Did you guys hear that?" She asked hesitantly, glancing around rapidly.

The other two turned to her, Zatanna arched her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

Raquel glanced over at Roy who obviously seemed not amused and she decided it was best not to anger the archer… again. She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, I just thoug-" Her words were cut off as something behind her slammed shut and closed off any possible option for an escape the way they had previously come.

Roy's eyes widened as he looked around, his panic beginning to show through his actions. His eyes landed on both girls and he only spoke one word. "Run."

They wasted no time in doing so as they all rushed to find a way out, realizing that by now they were caught. Rocket took off in the air, flying in front of them. As she continued to fly, she was stopped as another wall fell from the ceiling and blocked her path. She banged her fists against the wall and turned to see the other two coming close. As they came a few feet nearer, she saw some type of thick metal cord fly out of nowhere and wrap around the archer's foot. "Speedy!" She called out in anguish as she tried to rush to help him as he was quickly dragged away. Zatanna's eyes widened as a similar contraption coiled her by the waist and another covered her mouth, keeping her from speaking any of her incantations. "Zatanna!" Raquel watched in horror as she too started to be taken away in the opposite direction.

Once again, Rocket rushed to help before another wall came falling from above and she was stuck on one side, completely useless while her friends were being captured by the enemy. She pounded on the walls again and again, never slowing down or giving up in her attempt to escape.

"Rocket!" She heard Roy's voice scream from the other side and her eyes widened as she tried to use the powers from her inertia belt to escape.

"RA?! Red Arrow!" She called out loudly, still being unsuccessful in her attempt to escape. She heard him calling out to her again and focused all of her energy on breaking out. As the walls opened up beside her, she took no notice until there was a shock running through her body, excruciating as it mixed with the energy of her inertia belt. Raquel screamed out in anguish as she fell to her knees in pain, gritting her teeth to try to keep out from screaming again. She couldn't help it, as the pain and the electricity continued to run through her body she let out a heart wrenching shriek that echoed in the enclosed space.

The dark skinned girl could hear her male companion still calling out from the other side, his voice becoming more frantic as he heard her cries – her voice engulfed in the pain she felt. She couldn't control her body anymore; as the current of electricity began to lose power and completely shut off, the pain became a numbing sensation all over her body and she fell to her side.

Rocket could still hear Red Arrow's screams and pleas for her to stay awake before her eyes slowly began to shut and peaceful slumber overtook her, exhaustion winning over the will she had that told her to remain conscious.

* * *

**Is this considered a cliffhanger? ** **If it is…. ;D**

**REVIEWS AND COOKIES GET YOU THE NEXT CHAPTER AND A LOOK INTO THE THINGS I HAVE PLANNED FOR THIS STORY! c: SO REVIEW AND GIMME COOKIES!**

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	9. A Change In Scenery: The Queen

**Oh my god, guys I've been missing since Halloween I am **_**so **_**sorry!**

**It's just, I suffered from a serious case of writer's block and then I just couldn't bring myself to remember what I had planned for this story then I completely forgot because I was failing **_**French.**_

**I know, right? How can you possibly fail French? Well, I didn't do some major project because my partner and I are just major lazy assess who spend all our time gossiping about the weirdest shit. I DON'T EVEN LIKE TO GOSSIP! It just… bleh, well we passed – barely – thankfully.**

**And then I just remembered this and I feel really bad but hey it's only been like two months, right?**

**I'll just go fail at life now. Enjoy. I don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

Voices echoed in the distance, as the young woman came to, she could make them out; one male and one female. As she moved to sit up, she felt a hand hold her back down into the position she was previously in. "Hey-" She would have struggled if a familiar voice hadn't escaped the other person's lips first.

"Calm down, it's just me." The archer spoke up, his voice barely a low whisper. "You're hurt."

"I'm fi… ahh!" She groaned, sitting up and placing a hand against her stomach. Everything ached and she felt as if the room was spinning like crazy; as far as she knew, it was. The dark skinned girl lifted her arm to remove Roy's hand from her shoulder but she stopped mid-way as a pain shot up her arm once more. "Okay, not fine; really not fine."

"Here." Raquel heard the archer's movements before she found herself leaning against his torso. Her eyes widened and she tried to pull away but he held her firmly. "You need the support or you'll cause more damage to yourself."

She grudgingly allowed for herself to remain in the position she was in before she tried to look around and make out anything that she could. It was dark, all of it except for the small amount of light coming from the other side of the door. Her eyes could barely make out a silhouette a few feet away of who she guessed was their other teammate. "Zatanna..?" She asked hesitantly.

"She's out cold." Rocket jumped slightly as she heard Roy's voice from above her head and she tilted her head slightly so she could get a better look at him. "They gave her something to keep her out."

She sighed. "Oh."

They remained like that for a few minutes, neither of them saying a word. As they sat in uncomfortable silence, the distant voices became easier and easier to hear and Raquel realized that whoever it was… they were arguing. She wanted to call out for help, thinking that maybe – whoever it was – could actually be someone of use to them.

But the way that Roy stiffened under her as he too heard the voices made her hold back on screaming out. She didn't ask him if he knew who it was that was keeping them there; chances are, he didn't. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to her, they heard the arguing stop and the sound of whatever contraption kept the door locked being tampered with. They both had to cover their eyes to block out the light coming inside.

"Good morning, sidekicks." A teasing, female voice murmured as the sound of heels clicking on the concrete floor echoed through the small room. "Or should I say evening?"

Roy squinted at the unknown female, trying to make out her figure and not be blinded by the light at the same time. His eyes widened as he recognized her form the League's files. _"Queen Bee?"_

"Aw, crap. Not this witch again." Raquel hissed through grit teeth as she pulled away from Red Arrow and glared at the smirking woman. Roy's eyes lit up in confusion as he looked at his teammate.

"You know her?" He asked hesitantly, looking at one then back at the other quickly.

The girl kept her eyes on the villain as she answered the archer. "Remember that undercover mission Zatanna and I were never allowed to speak of?" He slowly nodded and said nothing. "Well, meet the unspeakable mission."

Queen Bee grinned and rolled her eyes. "Well…" She began, her teasing tone causing Raquel's anger to increase tenfold. "If by saying that, you are pinning the blame of all of that on me… then I think you should remember a bit more clearly what it was that happened. Don't you think, Rocket?"

"Cut the crap, Bee. What do you want with us?" The dark skinned teen hissed at the woman in blind rage.

She held her hand up as if to stop Raquel from saying anything more and glanced at the archer. "I think we should worry more about getting your little friend medical attention first, don't you think?"

Raquel looked over at Roy and her eyes widened. Queen Bee was right, Raquel hadn't noticed it before but the archer looked like crap. There was a bruise on his left eye and his lip was busted up, not to mention the gashes that were on his right arm. How had she not noticed that before?

"Speedy!" She gasped out.

"I'm fine." He coughed out, blood pooling at the edge of his lips. Raquel noticed that he was having trouble breathing too, the way his chest moved up and down in a less than steady rate as he leaned against the closest wall.

"No. You aren't." The older woman pointed out, a _tsk_ sound coming out of her mouth as she glanced back down at Raquel. "You should really take better care of your teammates, Rocket."

Raquel lunged at her. Or she would have lunged if she wasn't suddenly grabbed by the arms and hoisted up onto a standing position which was, for her, almost excruciating. "Let me go!" She snapped at the man who held her in anger, the sound being forced as a scream of pain mixed in with the order. She tried to use all of her strength to shove him off. Granted, she didn't really have a lot of strength to begin with. Yes; she was sure if this guy let go, she'd probably land face-first on the ground.

She continued to struggle.

"Rocket." Red Arrow snapped as he was pulled up in a similar manner as she was, but he put up even less of a fight than she did.

Queen Bee approached him and chuckled, roughly jerking him by the chin so he was looking at her. "Oh hush, dear. I can only handle one defiant teen at a time, and you are nothing compared to her. Now be a good boy and do as I say."

Raquel watched in repulsion as he settled down and did exactly as she said, not bothering to fight back or even move for that matter. She didn't say anything, just glared angrily at the woman standing before her.

"Don't look so glum, I could have been someone worse." Queen Bee murmured, her fingers stretched out and gently traveled down the girl's cheek. She noted, in disgust, how cool the woman's touch was. "Yes." Her voice was soft, and Raquel wondered if she was speaking to herself or to Rocket. "Much. Much worse."

Of that, Raquel was sure of.

* * *

**Asdfghjkl;'asfdghjklasdfgjl;lkjgzfg. **

**I AM STILL SO SORRY AND I WILL HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTER UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND I JUST LIKE, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. WELL I DO BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET TO WHERE I'M GOING.**

**Surry. I'm calm, I'm calm. The next chapter will be longer though, and there **_**should**_** be tons of action. Hopefully. I'm actually writing it right now, actually. **

**Um, uh… review? **

**Seriously, even if it's a simple "I REVIEWED" or "MY COOKIE" hey, I'll even take "WHAT THE HECK, WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? YOU SUCK."**

**Kay? Kay.**


	10. The Mission: It's A Start

**Okay, first of all I have one thing to say. I have homework due tomorrow, I should be doing that instead of writing this. You're welcome.**

**Second, I swear Alexis/Markers/whatever-else-I-call-you if you steal any of my cookies I will kill you. :|**

**And this chapter was originally supposed to be twice as long with the next chapter but that one's not done yet so… you get this.**

**Bumbleboy92- WELL. I guess it's better for people to forget then come demanding I update. Demanding… like that story I haven't updated in almost a year… or two… asdfghjkl; I fail.**

**lilo202- Right now, actually. The others were just… a break from them planning and all. Back to business, though. :P**

**Dextra2- Thank you. :)**

**Peacelovebackstroke- Well, I think iSniffMarkers would kill me if I didn't add Rocket because she loves Raquel and is literally obsessed with the chick :) She even has a role-playing page on facebook, and on tumblr… and twitter too, I think. SHH, DON'T TELL HER I TOLD YOU. ADFGHHJGFDFGHJKJFGHFD;'KL' IT'S SO FREAKING HARD NO ONE IN MY CLASS IS EVEN PASSING AND I HAVE THE TOP JUNIOR AND SOPHMORE IN THAT CLASS! Actually, top two juniors. Madame needs to give us less work, or we just need to do our work… AND THANK YOU! I don't even know if you'll take the time to read this so… **

**kuromi123- Your questions, I like them. And I totally would have called him Renegade except for the fact that he's not really a traitor or anything and Nightwing still works because of where he got the name from and he dislikes Brucey/Batsy because there are reasons and you will see later and I think I've already revealed too much and I think I'll just shut up now and if you're wondering if he knows if Bats and Bruce are the same person and you're not sure, be aware that I'm not sure either and why am I still talking I think I need to shut up now and damn this is getting really long. Okay, I drank coffee an hour ago. I finished all of the sugar, I'm hyper and when I'm hyper I can't seem to keep my mouth shut so I'm just not going to answer any questions and I'm sorry if this is getting a bit too long I'll just shut up now. **

**PsychoPudding- Cookies are good, stuff is good too. Oh hey, look an update. Asdfghjkl I like your name. But I think I'm crazier than you, just sayin'… thanks for reviewing, feel free to leave another one after this! I don't bite. ;)**

**iSniffMarkers- SHUDDUP, GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY COOKIES OR I'LL CUT YOU WOMAN. Wait… asdfghjkl;' YOU NEVER UPDATED THAT STORY WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND THAT ONE GUY. ASDFGHJKL; Rocket sucks... don't stab me! AND NO FUCKING TASERS.**

**Wolf skater- A few of my stories haven't been updated in like a year, but five months is bad. Asdfghjl; YOU SHOULD UPDATE. **

**jake111- NO… actually, I don't know. Maybe. Okay, most likely. Yes, it's probably going to be him. I could have also said I was waiting for the hiatus to be over cuz we all know that would have bought me more time… **

**Poseidon'sdaughter3- ASDFGHJK:' That actually hurt my feelings fro like five seconds. You're happy they're trapped and at the mercy of the Light? I am too. :P**

**Okay, you can go read now.**

* * *

Once she entered the cave's main room, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that the speedster was still not there.

_For a speedster, he sure is damn slow… _

Blonde hair was pulled back and out of her face. Artemis' waist held a belt that shaking fingers had managed to clip on. At first, she had been surprised to see that the outfit Nightwing had provided her with fit like a glove. The dark green fabric clung to her body at every curve but she could still move freely; it would make her job so much easier.

The arrow she sported on her chest had been foreign to her, though. _Green Arrow_, she had quickly realized.

The symbol was so much like his that she wondered exactly how he would react if he were to ever see her in it, see her wearing the symbol that stood for good and justice.

_He'd probably be disgusted._

In a way, she had always admired the hero, but it would be nice to mess with one of the well-known members of the friggin' _Justice League_. He was nothing like Batman and capable of doing the exact same things as the Dark Knight, all while doing it in his own way. A different style; less… _intimidating,_ to be exact.

Last she checked, she wasn't overly fond of intimidating. She remembered how intimidating her father had been. There they were; those stupid memories of her father. She would have to ignore them for now.

A scowl formed on her lips as she stepped through the archway. There was a moment of awkward tension as the three boy who _were _in the room heard her enter. Apparently, she wasn't being as quiet as she thought she had been. _Why the hell am I the only girl? _It was both flattering and irritating, especially since they were all _incredibly _good looking.

Especially, Conner.

_Stop thinking about this! _She mentally slapped herself and resisted the urge to do so in reality. Her eyes nonchalantly landed on him. His black shirt with the crimson Superman symbol was no longer on his person, nor where the jeans he wore.

No, instead he wore a guard's uniform that made him look all the more appealing. She guessed it was for the whole undercover act, she wasn't going to ask about it though.

Thankful that none of them were actually _staring _at her as she observed – no, she wasn't _gawking_! – the Boy of Steel, she nimbly made her way over to where Nightwing stood, typing into some kind of holographic computer on his wrist.

He didn't look up when she stepped up beside him and crossed her arms over her chest but the smirk that formed on his lips let her know that he was fully aware of her presence. The archer studied him with an unreadable expression and finally, he chuckled, looked up at her – giving her his undivided attention. "Can I help you or did someone not teach you that it's not polite to stare?"

She opened her mouth, immediately prepared to reply with some snarky remark… until she realized he said _someone, _not 'your parents' like everyone else seemed to. That struck her as odd. She reluctantly swallowed whatever it was she was about to say and sighed, looking around. "How the hell do you know so much about us… about _me?"_ No one was supposed to know about her, that was the whole point of a secret identity; keeping her identity a secret.

"Well…" He tilted his head to the side, contemplating his choices. He picked his words out carefully, making sure not to let anything slip. _Anything like what? _Artemis thought to herself, immediately becoming suspicious. _What are you hiding? _"I've spent a lot of time dodging the Bat, so I have to know my way around the files. Literally. I've collected information on just about everyone, no one is too unimportant in my book. Just in case I need to be a step ahead. Don't get me wrong, you weren't easy to figure out. But it was possible. The only people I don't know about are the ones who _do _know how to hide their secrets, very well I might add."

"Like Batman?" She asked, her nose scrunching up in confusion.

He shook his head. "No, like Deathstroke."

Artemis immediately went on defense and placed her hands on her hips in her ever defying nature. "What's there to know about him? He just wants the job done. As long as I get my money, I don't give two cents about his secrets."

"Ah." He grinned, pointing at her almost accusingly; the only thing that kept it from being hostile was his teasing tone. "So you got your mission from him too, huh?"

She nodded slowly, wondering if there was something she was missing. _Didn't everyone? _"Yeah… I'm friends with his daughter…" Her eyes widened slightly and she wondered if she should have said that because all of a sudden, a mischievous spark grew in his eyes. "He _is_ the one who set up this whole thing, right?"

"No." Her eyebrows shot up as she turned to the Kryptonian, not expecting for him to be eavesdropping. His relaxed demeanor was now laced in anger and Artemis admitted to herself that she was a bit scared of him like that. He could probably punch a hole through her skull, couldn't he? "I got mine from The Brain."

"And I got mine from some unidentified female." Kaldur'ahm spoke up for what seemed like the first time since their mission plans. He seemed tense; he was hesitant to speak of the mission. He just wanted to get it over with. _This seems to get more suspicious the deeper any person digs… why did I ever agree to any of these things? I am going against everything my king stood for. _

"I got a note from Cold." They all turned to see the speedster walking in, scarfing down what seemed like a brownie. Artemis' nose wrinkled up again, this time in disgust as he wiped the crumbs form his lips. _Did he even swallow?_

She noticed he was wearing what seemed to look like the Flash's costume except his was a dark gray color and his fiery red hair was visible form the top of his cowl. He raised an eyebrow at their looks. "What does it matter? Since when do any of us overthink anything? We're the bad guys, remember? Well, except for you Kal but that's a while different story."

"Wait, what?"

All eyes turned to Artemis, she glanced at Kaldur in confusion. She'd thought that he was some kind of gang member or maybe a master assassin; _something_ along those lines. He was innocent? "Is something wrong..?" He asked hesitantly. There was a thought that passed through his head as he imagined Artemis pulling out a weapon and killing him on spot.

Surely she wasn't that vicious… right?

"I thought you were… aren't you…? Oh nevermind, it doesn't matter." She waved away the thought and sighed loudly, spinning on her heel and finding Nightwing standing right beside her. Her feet quickly made her jump back and he smirked triumphantly, proud that she hadn't felt him come up behind her.

"Here you go." The raven haired boy held out an object in his grasp. It _looked _like her bow. But… no, it wasn't her bow. She took the thing, noticing that it was a dark green color and even though it felt like hers; it definitely was not her original bow. It was familiar though, so she didn't complain.

No one said a word as he quickly moved to exit the room. As he walked a few steps ahead of the others, they all noticed that he wasn't going back the same way they entered.

All of them were hesitant in their steps.

It wasn't until they reached the loading bay that their eyes fell on what seemed to be a van.

They all stood before the very plain black van.

Somehow, this did not seem to fit Nightwing's style at all. He grinned as they all gave him dumbstruck expressions, obviously having expected their reactions. He once again motioned for them to follow and they tentatively did so. His fingers gripped onto both of the back doors and he easily tossed both doors open. Well, they were wrong. It definitely did fit his style, at least from their new point of view.

"I figured we needed something inconspicuous." A full assortment of gadgets lined the walls, monitors and screens everywhere. It was all mostly digitally worked and held an azure glow. "Okay, all of you get in." He ordered sharply, grabbing Blitz by the neck before he could make a dash to the driver's side. "Conner, you're driving."

The teen let out a grunt, confirming that he'd heard Nightwing. As he slipped in and started the van, they all drowned out the speedster's cries of protest. No one was about to let him drive. "Shut up, already." Artemis hissed when they were all settled in the back of the van; concealed from any prying eyes.

"Blah blah blah." He mimicked her tone, narrowing his eyes at her as a child would and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked away.

No one bothered to make them apologize as they drove out of the mountain. "I believe we are all in agreement when I say that our identities are to remain a secret to everyone but ourselves in the duration of this… _project._" _Robbery. _No one bothered to correct the atlantean. They all slowly nodded, glancing at each-other. "Then think of the designation you chose for yourself when we contact each-other, seeing as we _do_ need to keep in contact."

Artemis chewed on her lip, sighing. "Um. Tigress." That was the only name she could thing of that would hold no ties to her personally.

"Just Blitz." Wally replied in a bored tone.

The youngest chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Nightwing."

"Superboy." No one bothered to ask why.

Kaldur'ahm sighed, shaking his head before speaking. "I will go with Aqualad."

In spite of the atlantean's sad tone, Artemis smiled encouragingly and reached forward to take his hand with her free one. "It works."

His only response was a nod and everything became silent.

That was until the kryptonian had announced that they had arrived. A flicker of doubt crossed her mind and she remembered when Rose had told her to just quit if it got too hard. She wasn't about to back out at a time like this, though. She'd just have to suck it all up. "Alright, let's do this thing!"

"Agreed." Wally replied, looking at all of them with an excited grin.

Nightwing nodded and handed them all com-links. "Our only source of communication, don't lose yours, _Blitz." _He looked pointedly at the ginger.

"Got it." The speedster simply nodded, placing the bud into his ear and shrugging off the other's warning. They all did the same, placing the small objects into their ears before looking back at him.

Conner said nothing as he slid out of the seat and away from them, they heard his footsteps dissolve as he walked away.

And the first part of their plan was in motion.

"So, you never told me how we were getting in." Artemis spoke up, turning to Nightwing. The grin he gave her made her frightened of whatever his answer would be. It wouldn't be bad, right? Easy maybe? Possibly? Hopefully?

One question escaped his lips.

"None of you are afraid of heights, right?"

* * *

**REVIEW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF YOU WANT TO BE RANDOM LIKE ME. YOU KNOW I'LL REPLY TO DAT STUFF.**


	11. The Mission: One More Step

**Ahhhhh, I took forever again, didn't I?**

**I'mSoSorryIDidn'tMeanTo.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

Artemis had never been one to fear heights. Actually, she loved them and the thrill that came when she was up in the air and so close to flying. So close but never quite close enough.

What she didn't like, though, was being taken by the waist and grappled up into the air.

Just. Like. Nightwing. Did.

She would have screamed if she hadn't felt like she suddenly couldn't breathe, would have struggled if she didn't suddenly think of herself crashing down onto the pavement that seemed to be growing distant by the second. The archer forced herself to look up and keep her mind on the face that there was no harness.

When she was finally free from his hold and on solid ground, the nasty glare she gave the acrobat did not keep him from smirking widely at her. "Had fun?" So damn smug!

"A little warning next time?" She couldn't keep the venom from seeping into her tone as she regained her breath. If she wasn't getting paid for this, she would have torn his pretty little face to shreds. Maybe afterwords she could... no, she wasn't even going to consider it.

No murders. At least not because of her.

Artemis spun around to see that Aqualad and the speedster were already on the roof. How'd they get there..? She paid it no mind, looking over at the locked door that led inside the building. With a hand on her hip, she approached it and pulled on the handle.

Locked, as she'd assumed.

"How are we getting in here, anyways?" The blonde turned back to Nightwing and when he did nothing but shrug in reply, her attention turned to the atlantean. "Any ideas, smart guy?"

In an instant, Blitz was standing beside her. "I got an idea." He spoke up, smirking at her in a way that made Artemis want to shudder. He pointed at her. "You go in there."

She looked to where he pointed next, seeing the air shaft that stood parallel to the door. No way was she going in there, no way in hell. Her slender fingers ran through a strand of her tied back hair as she glared coolly at the speedster. "Since it's your idea, I think it's only fair for you to do the honors."

"No, I insist." He spat back with an equally nasty glare.

Before either of them could say another word, Nightwing had strolled past them with more calm than either of them had ever felt and pried the grill off the vent's entrance. "We're all going." He spoke up, looking at the two arguing teens. "Right, Aqualad?"

The dark skinned teen nodded in agreement. "It is for the best." He, just like the acrobat, looked incredibly calm to them. Artemis wondered how they could stay that way for so long.

She glanced at Blitz angrily one last time before deciding on walking away and towards Nightwing. "Whatever." Without another word, she crawled inside and started to make her way forward. And away from the annoying speedster. It wasn't long until she heard the sounds of clatter and voices behind her.

She assumed that Wally was already inside.

"I barely fit in here!" Yeah, that was the speedster alright. His complaints echoed through the crammed space and she had to hold back a moan. Couldn't he be quiet for one second?! She just wanted to get this over with, without any annoyances and the speedster was a major annoyance.

A cackle made her realize that Nightwing was directly behind her, obviously enjoying the speedster's 'agony'. "Chill out, Kid Dork. Just a little longer..." He was definitely enjoying this.

Artemis bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming at them, or telling them to shut up. She continued to crawl forward until light reached her eyes and she peered down to see an empty hallway beneath her. Her leg kicked out and the grate dropped beneath, clattering loudly as she hoped down and landed on her feet.

One quick look around told her that they were in the clear, no cameras and no security. She motioned for the others to drop down too. "All clear."

The raven haired acrobat jumped down in a graceful manner, flashing her his white teeth beneath his wide grin. "Do this often?" He asked cheekily, before rubbing his arm in pain and a grimace overtook his features. "Ow!" He exclaimed in pain as the archer punched him angrily.

"Well, that's none of your business." She replied coyly, stepping out of the way as Blitz and Aqualad also exited the air vents.

Blitz offered Nightwing a smug look as he noticed the pained expression on his face. Then he saluted towards the two and chuckled. "Lead the way, Wing and Kitty."

Artemis pressed her lips in a thin line, deciding not to quarrel with the speedster while they were inside the building. She spun around and took off in the other direction before coming to a halt and glancing between a lone, dark hallway and a brightly lit one. Her instincts told her to take the dark one, so she spun in that direction and continued to move.

She didn't hear any complaining form her companions as they followed behind. There was another pause as she came to a large steel door that seemed to be locked shut. The place felt eerily similar to the place she'd pulled the last heist and she forced herself to swallow her fear. "It's behind that door, I know it."

"Way to point out the obvious, Tigress." Wally commented as he stepped up beside her, hands on his hips and looking much more cocky then should be allowed.**  
**

Artemis rolled her eyes, shoving him out of the way as she stepped over to the door. "Out of my way." She rested her palm on its cool surface, familiar with how to handle this type of situation. Her eyes inspected the door, landed on the keypad that stood off to the side and she smirked in accomplishment.

The others simply watched, unsure of how to react to her attitude. "Um, Tigress..?" Nightwing asked, confusion lacing his tone as he moved to place a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should met me -" He was cut off by a wave of her hand.

"Shush." She commanded, her fingers moving to the keypad as her fingers punched in a string of numbers that were lost in their eyes. With a click, the door slid open and Artemis could only grin wider. "Piece of cake." It was the same code as the one of her last heist, figured. Both buildings were owned by Lex Luthor.

* * *

Everything in the security room was boring. Conner Kent sat with his back to the door as he stared at the monitors before him. He tugged at the collar of his security uniform, mentally growling at the fact that _he _was the one who had to show his face in public instead of the others.

The clone rubbed at his eyes, looking at the other security guard who stood to his side. What was his name again? Oh yeah. _Guardian. _

Superboy wasn't sure what he'd signed on for, considering the man didn't look like any average security guard. If he didn't know any better, with the man's strange get up, he'd say that the man could be a member of the Justice League.

But of course, this building belonged to his adoptive father and Lex Luthor would _never _get involved with the likes of them.

The room was silent. Neither of them bothered to even try to take part in small talk. Conner was prepared for anything at the moment, knowing that at any moment things could take a turn for the worst and he'd have to either rush to make a run for it or stand his ground and go toe to toe with this... Guardian fellow._  
_

Yeah, running was not going to be an option, apparently.

He kept looking at the video footage, the spot where the _valuable merchandise _was placed looked empty. That could only mean that Nightwing had hacked the footage, as he had already told them he would do. Unless there was some kind of malfunction, there was no way the cameras would betray them.

He glanced at the door from the corner of his eye. Outside he had counted about twenty or so guards, all armed. And that was just on the first floor. He blended in, although he did look young to them they had bought his 'new guy' routine.

At least something good had come with dating a Martian; learning how to be someone you're not.

It seemed like hours went by with nothing but the sounds of the machines whirling in his ears as sound. By then, he figured that everything would go according to plan. It didn't seem like anything could go wrong, and the thought made him relax ever so slightly.

Of course, he couldn't have been more wrong.

Jumping up at the sounds of commotion outside, both he and Guardian gave each other a spare glance before heading towards the door to see what was the matter. He reached it first, tugging the door open with a little more force than necessary.

They both stepped out, and Conner could only stare with a slack jaw as Lex Luthor himself entered through the front door.

Not. Good.

The other guards lined up against the sides, looking more like soldiers than anything in Conner's eyes. That bought him some cover at least, if Lex saw and recognized him then they were all done for.

Guardian went to greet the man, while Conner calmly walked away from the scene. _"Guys." _He called through the comm-link, placing his finger to his ear as he spoke. _"We have a big problem."_

He could hear silence and static crackling in the air before Nightwing's voice asked hesitantly. _"What kind?"_

"Oh my."

He froze where he stood, the familiar voice bringing sending shivers down his spine as he replied coolly. He turned, only to see the man looking straight at him with a malicious gleam in his eyes. Conner's expression turned cold and unreadable. _"Lex Luthor."_

* * *

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